Debating

Chronology of Coverage

Oct. 31, 2014

Republican John P Cahill and Democratic incumbent Eric T Schneiderman trade insults and invectives in their only debate in battle for New York State attorney general's seat. MORE

Oct. 29, 2014

Rep Michael G Grimm of Staten Island and his Democrat opponent Domenic M Recchia Jr spar during televised live debate over who would have more power if elected to House of Representatives; event lays out choice between two-term Republican facing federal fraud charges and member of Democratic minority just week before election. MORE

Oct. 24, 2014

Connecticut Gov Dannel P Malloy has successfully fended off attacks from challenger Thomas C Foley in five debates and candidates are statistically tied in polls; Foley cedes his spot in sixth debate to independent challenger Joe Visconti. MORE

Oct. 23, 2014

New York Gov Andrew M Cuomo faces off against Republican challenger Rob Astorino in what is likely to be the only debate in state's gubernatorial race; independent candidates Howie Hawkins and Michael McDermott also take part in debate marked by intense exchanges between Astorino and Cuomo. MORE

Oct. 22, 2014

Debate between Florida Gov Rick Scott and former Gov Charlie Crist live on CNN illustrates just how diametrically opposed the two men are stylistically and on almost every issue. MORE

Oct. 18, 2014

Republican Rep Michael Grimm and his Democratic opponent Domenic Recchia Jr trade insults during half-hour televised debate, with Recchia repeatedly bringing up Grimm's pending federal indictment; contest is an apparent tossup less than three weeks before Election Day. MORE

Oct. 17, 2014

Debate between Connecticut Gov Dannel P Malloy and challenger Thomas C Foley is as ferocious as ever in tight race that has implications for national leaders of both parties; independent candidate Joe Visconti joins fray for first time. MORE

Oct. 16, 2014

New York State Comptroller Thomas P DiNapoli and his Republican challenger Robert E Antonacci engage in cordial debate; incumbent DiNapoli enjoys considerable lead in race for comptroller's seat. MORE

Oct. 15, 2014

Editorial faults New York Gov Andrew Cuomo's decision to take part in only one televised debate with other candidates, including Republican opponent Rob Astorino; holds one group debate will leave less time for candidates to challenge Cuomo and tackle issues; contends while Cuomo maintains significant lead in polls, voters deserve to see real, unscripted debates. MORE

Oct. 1, 2014

Democrat Wendy Davis and Republican Greg Abbott, both vying to become governor of Texas, spar in their second and final televised debate over the state’s mismanagement of an economic-incentive fund. MORE

Sep. 13, 2014

Gail Collins Op-Ed column holds politicians should feel obliged to make appearances and engage in debates during election season, even when their reelections are assured; says Americans want their candidates in the public eye, even when they are planning to ignore them. MORE

Sep. 7, 2014

Kansas' Republican Gov Sam Brownback and his Democratic challenger State Rep Paul Davis debate for first time in tight gubernatorial race, hurling sharp attacks at one another but offering few specifics on their visions for Kansas. MORE

Sep. 5, 2014

New York Gov Andrew M Cuomo has held no public events and refuses to debate his opponents five days before Democratic primary for gubernatorial race; his primary opponent Zephy Teachout and Republican rival Rob Astorino debate each other. MORE

Sep. 5, 2014

Editorial criticizes New York Gov Andrew Cuomo for refusing to debate Zephyr Teachout, his Democratic primary opponent, and Rob Astorino, Republican nominee for governor; contends Cuomo is depriving voters of vigorous discussion of state issues. MORE

Jun. 21, 2014

Rep Charles B Rangel, New York State Senator Adriano D Espaillat and a third candidate, the Rev Michael A Walrond, debate international issues in one of final pushes for votes in Democratic primary for 13th Congressional District seat. MORE

Jun. 12, 2014

Charles B Rangel and his challengers, State Sen Adriano D Espaillat and Rev Michael A Walrond, participate in first televised debate; candidates tone down rhetoric and theatrics, offering instead a brisk back-and-forth. MORE

Jun. 7, 2014

Rep Charles B Rangel and his top rival, State Sen Adriano D Espaillat, lash out at each other during their first televised debate; Rangel, who is turning 84, will face not only Espaillat but also Rev Michael A Walrond in the Democratic primary on June 24; both Espaillat and Walrond argue that Rangel, after 22 terms in office, has lost touch with his constituents. MORE

May. 15, 2014

Rep Charles B Rangel deploys unusual weapon against his two Democratic primary opponents, using his iPhone to answer fake phone call moments into his opening statement; launches into monologue during call and mocks each of his opponents, New York State Sen Adriano D Espaillat and Rev Michael A Walrond. MORE

May. 10, 2014

Republican National Committee moves to seize control of the presidential primary debates in 2016, another step in a coordinated effort to reshape the nominating process; members pass measure that will penalize any presidential candidate who participated in a debate not sanctioned by the national party, by limiting their participation in subsequent committee-sanctioned forums. MORE

Oct. 31, 2013

Democrat Bill de Blasio and Republican Joseph J Lhota criticize each other’s backgrounds, sparring over basic question of how each man would run New York’s vast city government in final New York City mayoral debate. MORE

Oct. 28, 2013

Officials postpone by one day the final televised debate between New York mayoral candidates Bill de Blasio and Joseph J Lhota set for Oct 29 because date is first anniversary of Hurricane Sandy. MORE

Oct. 23, 2013

New York City mayoral candidates Joseph J Lhota, Republican, and Democrat Bill de Blasio square off in second television debate; exchange is marked by a free-for-all of interruptions, name-calling and indignant lecturing as candidates clash over polemic ad by Lhota, charter schools and taxes. MORE

Oct. 23, 2013

Michael Powell Gotham column notes Democrat Bill de Blasio, in New York City mayoral debate with Republican Joseph J Lhota, qualified his stances on some issues and is cagey on others; says take-away is that he is not a fake but as his day approaches, his footsteps toward power are worth measuring. MORE

Oct. 16, 2013

New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Bill de Blasio relentlessly pounds his Republican rival Joseph J Lhota in their first televised debate; de Blasio dominates hourlong confrontation, repeatedly linking Lhota to what he called an obstructionist national Republican Party, while Lhota attempts to raise questions about de Blasio’s managerial experience. MORE

Oct. 16, 2013

Check Point column reviews facts behind some of most contested moments of first New York mayoral debate between Bill de Blasio and Joseph J Lhota . MORE

Oct. 16, 2013

Michael Powell Gotham column notes Joseph J Lhota, In his debate with Bill de Blasio for mayor of New York City, had emerged as a knight under former Mayor Rudolph W Giuliani, but now seems better suited for a city of another era. MORE

Oct. 15, 2013

New York City mayoral campaign of Adolfo Carrion Jr has confounded his former allies, as he was once viewed as the Latino community's best hope to win citywide office; Carrion is running as the standard-bearer of the Independence party, but his poll numbers are so low that he has been barred from mayoral debates, and he has received very little media attention. MORE

Oct. 9, 2013

New Jersey Gov Chris Christie and his Democratic challenger State Senator Barbara Buono face off in first debate in gubernatorial race, with Buono looking to make an impression; Christie has formidable lead in polls. MORE

Sep. 25, 2013

Televised debate between Letitia James and Daniel L Squadron, Democratic candidates for New York City public advocate, is fiercely negative as both seek to win over the tiny number of undecided voters in upcoming runoff; as there is no Republican candidate, winner of runoff is expected to assume the office. MORE

Sep. 9, 2013

New York City Republican mayoral candidates Joseph J Lhota and John A Catsimatidis spar in final televised debate, with Lhota seeking to leave the impression that Catsimatidis is not a serious candidate and Catsimatidus arguing that Lhota is a mean-spirited technocrat who lacks big ideas. MORE

Sep. 5, 2013

Trailside blog; George T McDonald says fund-raising rule that excludes him from final televised Republican New York City mayoral debate should also apply to another candidate, John A. Catsimatidis, billionaire owner of Gristedes. MORE

Sep. 5, 2013

Trailside blog; 225,000 viewers tune in to televised New York City Democratic mayoral debate on WNBC-TV, with additional 100,000 viewers watching on local Spanish-language network Telemundo Neuva York; ratings outpace previous Democratic debate, with drew about 50,000 viewers. MORE

Sep. 5, 2013

Editorial contends Democrats' final debate in New York mayoral primary election offered little information to voters; suggests resources like YouTube videos of candidates that New Yorkers can use to find out more. MORE

Sep. 4, 2013

Rivals of Bill de Blasio in New York City mayoral race hammer him in final televised debate, depicting him as a panderer to the real estate industry, a flip-flopper and a naive dreamer whose plans would wilt in the face of reality; de Blasio, commanding front-runner status in the polls, denies various charges against him. MORE

Sep. 4, 2013

Alessandra Stanley The TV Watch column notes final debate between candidates in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary is not dramatic showdown among front-runners; says most of heat and animation comes from the two candidates competing for rock bottom, John C Liu and Anthony D Weiner. MORE

Sep. 4, 2013

Final debate among Democrats vying for mayor of New York City features few brazen howlers, wild exaggerations or embarrassing gotcha moments. MORE

Sep. 2, 2013

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her Social Democratic rival, Peer Steinbruck, face off in their sole television debate before Germany's federal election; debate features a mostly decorous 90-minute discussion, with neither candidate emerging as clear winner. MORE

Aug. 29, 2013

Republican mayoral candidates John A Catsimatidis, Joseph J Lhota and George T McDonald discuss New York City's controversial stop-and-frisk program in televised debate; disagreements on policy among GOP rivals are few, with most saying they would not mind if their own child were stopped; stop-and-frisk policy has emerged as central issue in election. MORE

Aug. 26, 2013

New York City public advocate candidates spar in televised debate; encounter offers some clues as to how each of the candidates is handling the pressure of a race in which half of the voters say they remain undecided less than three weeks from Primary Day. MORE

Aug. 23, 2013

Scott M Stringer and Eliot Spitzer, Democratic candidates for New York City comptroller, have their final televised debate; among the usual sharp exchanges are moments of levity and even a little singing. MORE

Aug. 23, 2013

Second televised Democratic mayoral debate is filled with fireworks, but ratings show a relatively small audience; debate, broadcast live on cable news channel NY1, attracted an average of only 50,000 viewers, according to Nielsen. MORE

Aug. 22, 2013

Democratic candidates for mayor of New York mount attack on front-runner Bill de Blasio during fiery televised primary debate. MORE

Aug. 21, 2013

Trailside blog; first televised debate among Democratic candidates for New York City mayor was viewed by about 449,000 people. MORE

Aug. 16, 2013

Democratic candidates for New York City public advocate square off in debate at the Brooklyn Academy of Music; much of debate focused on the candidates' backgrounds and accomplishments. MORE

Aug. 14, 2013

Democratic candidates for mayor of New York City have their first live televised debate; jousting over term limits is among highlights of the night, and no mention is made of new poll suggesting that Bill de Blasio had pulled ahead of Christine C Quinn in the race. MORE

Aug. 14, 2013

Kenneth P Thompson and incumbent prosecutor Charles J Hynes engage in first head-to-head debate in race for Brooklyn district attorney’s office; candidates, both Democrats, skate edge of civility as they attack each other on point after point. MORE

Aug. 13, 2013

Australian Prime Min Kevin Rudd is sharply criticized over his performance in first leadership debate of federal election campaign, with opponents publicly accusing him of having cheated by using notecards. MORE

Aug. 10, 2013

Trailside blog; Scott M Stringer and Eliot Spitzer, candidates in Democratic primary for New York City comptroller, trade barbs in debate held at Manhattan studios of WABC-TV. MORE

Aug. 10, 2013

Trailside blog; John A Catsimatidis, Joseph J Lhota and George T McDonald, Republican contenders for New York City mayor, engage in debate hosted by WABC-TV but display few disagreements, saying they hope to build on legacy of Michael R Bloomberg. MORE

Aug. 9, 2013

Editorial criticizes organizers of live televised debate in the Democratic campaign for New York City mayor for failing to invite candidate Sal Albanese, who has not yet qualified for public funds; contends Albanese may still qualify and that if there is room for only five candidates, organizers should drop Anthony Weiner. MORE